Our Story

John Shalhoob

Shalhoob Meat Company is family owned and operated and has been providing premium quality meat and poultry to the greater Santa Barbara area since 1973. Shalhoob’s president, John Shalhoob, had worked full-time throughout his high school years at the meat cutting plant with his father Jerry. John took over the family business in 2001 while Jerry continues to maintain a presence as the company moves forward into the new millennium.

John Shalhoob, 1982

Shalhoob Meat Company takes its roots way back in 1950 when young Jerry learned the fine art of making beef jerky from his grandfather right here in Santa Barbara County. Years later at the age of 20, Jerry became a meat cutter learning the trade at a local grocery store. He opened Shalhoob Meat Company as a one-man butcher shop in 1973 and quickly became the authority on “all things meat” in the Santa Barbara community.

Jerry Shalhoob, 1982

In 1977, Jerry moved the operation to the location where the business continues to thrive today. Shalhoob Meat Company has become a recognized force in supplying the best restaurants, hotels and institutions with the finest meats and provisions available in Santa Barbara. Our family owned restaurant, Jill’s Place, shalhoobs.com began as Shalhoob Deli & Catering in 1987, serving deli style lunches and soon developed an off-sitecatering company specializing in grilled meats. With fifteen years of deli lunches and off-site catering experience, Jill was prepared to expand the business, and remodeled the original butchershop cutting room.

Jill Shalhoob, 1982

Jill’s Place is now a full bar and restaurant in the evenings but still retains the same great old-school lunch menu during the day. Jill’s dinner menu has been a great success thanks to locals spreading theword and introducing friends to us, as well as our on-going dedication to consistency, quality, and fun!

As President and owner of the family-run company, John Shalhoob continues to grow the family company to serve its ever-growing market for custom-cut, premium-quality meats. Two of Shalhoob’s third generation have become essential parts of the Shalhoob management team.

John’s son LJ, started folding boxes and boning chicken breasts at age nine during his school vacations. LJ became a full-timer in 2004, and now heads the sales team and works as production manager. John’s daughter Leeandra joined the Shalhoob crew the next year, 2005, and she now manages advertising and company operations.

Together, LJ and Leeandra have helped adapt the company to the digital media age, online and on mobile devices, reaching out to the public at grass roots level. They have also preserved Shalhoob Meat Co., continuing Shalhoob’s core business back to its roots: as your neighborhood butcher shop.